The San Diego Padres go into the second half with a half-game lead for the third National League Wild Card spot and five-and-a-half games back from the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West.
San Diego opens the second half with three-game sets against the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins.
The Padres need to address starting pitching going forward.
They have gotten quality efforts from Nick Pivetta and Randy Vasquez, but Dylan Cease hasn’t been great this season, Michael King was placed on the 60-day injured list and Joe Musgrove is out for the season.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter named each selling team’s best trade chips and potential landing spots, with the Padres named as the best landing spot for a former All-Star starting pitcher.
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller has been a popular name in trade rumors and is one of the most talented trade candidates available.
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Keller, 29, has been nothing but consistent in his tenure with the Pirates. He is 3-10 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in 20 starts this season.
His record looks brutal, but keep in mind that even Paul Skenes has a bad record due to Pittsburgh not supplying run support for their pitchers.
Reuter cited the Padres as a fit due to pitching injuries.
“Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported in late June that the Pirates are open to moving everyone outside of Paul Skenes and Andrew McCutchen, and that has made Keller one of the top speculative trade candidates on the roster,” wrote Reuter. “With Joe Musgrove and Michael King on the injured list, and Yu Darvish (2 GS, 6.48 ERA) still rounding into form, the Padres need another quality rotation option alongside Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease. They have not been shy about trading their prospects in recent years.”
The Padres have a strong team, but adding a quality pitcher like Keller would be a huge addition to an already playoff-caliber team.
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